#22 — May 2026 bestsellers + the colouring book boom

In episode 22 of NielsenIQ BookData's The Bestsellers podcast, Belle and Philip count down the UK's bestselling books in the month of May (01.51), reveal their "Beyond the Bestsellers" picks (13.12), and put colouring books "Under the Spotlight" (21.40). Tune in to discover which writer returns to familiar territory and tops the chart, which series celebrates its 20th birthday in style, the latest book to get a small-screen boost, and what gems can be found in the colouring book long tail.

Books featured in this episode that can be purchased at all good booksellers include:

— Freida McFadden's The Divorce
— Keir Radnedge's FIFA World Cup 2026: The Official Guide
— The Disneyland Parks Colouring Book
— Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris's The Book of Birds
— Bobbie Goods' Do Dia Para a Noite 

Link to The Bookseller article on Usborne's Sticker Dolly Dressing range
Link to Springer Nature paper on anxiety reduction during adult colouring
Link to Healthline article on the benefits of adult colouring
Link to The Guardian article on the British birdwatching boom
Link to NHS/Rethink Mental Illness "Stress Bucket" resource (.pdf)

For more information about who we are and what we do, visit NielsenIQ BookData Home - NIQ. Follow Nielsen Book on X (@bookdata), Linkedin (@nielsen-book) and Instagram (@nielsenbook). Get in touch with Philip and Belle at thebestsellerspodcast@nielseniq.com.

Episode hosted by Philip Stone and Belle Edelman, and produced and edited by Chris White. Theme music by Nela Ruiz. 

Thanks for listening!